Body Found After Raid On Suspect's Bunker

Police who mounted a 23-hour siege of a fortified bunker in mountains near Seattle in the hunt for a man suspected of killing his wife and daughter have found the body of a man inside.

Officers blasted a whole in the roof after pumping tear gas into the complex near North Bend in Washington state had failed to persuade Peter Keller to surrender.

They feared the armed fugitive may have a gas mask and that the bunker, which had multiple levels and entrances, might be booby-trapped.

Police spokeswoman Katie Larson said that the body found inside "would appear to be our suspect".

"It appears he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound."

She said it would take officers several days to complete their search of the bunker.

The manhunt for the 41-year-old began after the bodies of his wife and 18-year-old daughter were discovered at their family home last Sunday.

Both had been shot in the head and their house had been set on fire.

Photographs found in Keller's home after the killings gave authorities an idea of the location of the fortified bunker, which had been built over eight years.

When combined with reports from hikers who remembered seeing his red pickup truck, experienced trackers were able to find off-trail boot prints that confirmed Keller was in an area known as Rattlesnake Ridge.

However, it still took police commandoes seven hours on Friday morning to find the site.

The King's County Sheriff said Keller was a self-taught survivalist who was known to stockpile supplies.

Authorities added that Keller took over \$6,000 (£3,700) out of his bank account before the deaths of his wife, Lynnettee, and daughter, Kaylene, and was said to be preparing for the "end of the world."

One of Keller's work colleagues said he owned body armour, and the man gave police a list of weapons that he knew the suspect owned, including several handguns and high-powered rifles with scopes and silencers.